Overcook

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /oʊ.vɚ.kʊk/

Definitions

1. To cook food for an excessive duration, causing it to dry out or develop a burnt flavor
2. To apply too much heat for too long, altering the desired texture and reducing the food's natural qualities
3. To prepare food by heating it past the ideal time, resulting in loss of moisture or flavor

Etymology: "Overcook" is a plain compound: the prefix "over-", meaning "too much" or "beyond the proper degree", attached to "cook". The prefix has been productive in English since Old English, where it appeared in words such as "ofer" forms that signalled excess, and it still works this way in verbs like "overeat", "overdo" and "overheat". Anyone who knows that prefix can read the meaning straight off the word: to cook beyond the point the food should reach. The verb "cook" itself came into Old English from Latin "coquere", to cook or ripen, a word whose root also gave English "concoct" and "kitchen" in its Old English form "cycene". So "overcook" is an Old English prefix bolted onto a Latin-derived verb that had already been in the language for centuries.

Synonyms: overboil, overbake, burn, scorch, overheat

Antonyms: undercook, cook, prepare